Even though I know that free speech carries a price, I tend towards First Amendment fanaticism, and I do not believe in restricting anyone’s free speech rights, no matter how obnoxious it is or how much I disagree with the views expressed.
Still, I’m fascinated by the idea that a prolonged and raucous occupation of a building and indoor campout for the purpose of forcing compliance with political demands (with all the inevitable wear and tear and increased police costs that entails) constitutes “free speech” in the ordinary sense of the word. In Berkeley I saw many similar exercises in occupation over the years, the idea always being to wear down the opposition by a process of intimidation and attrition. This strikes me more as action than speech, and while it may be legal, I think it borders on extortion.
If a group of people want me to do something, and they ask me to do it, that is free speech. But if they surround my house and chant in order to wear me down, and physically block my driveway so that I cannot go about my business, that is not quite the same thing.
What’s even more annoying is the way the yellers and screamers carry on about how what they are doing constitutes “democracy.” A perfect example was provided by Ann Althouse, who was scolded as “rude” for taking pictures of demonstrators in front of the Veterans’ Monument that had been disrespected previously. As one protester (with a pronounced non-Wisconsin accent) explained, “the protesters are ‘trying to save’ democracy.”
I didn’t get to ask follow-up questions, but I think her point was to equate the protesters to the veterans and to make that a justification for piling sleeping bags and all sorts of junk up against the monument. I didn’t get to ask how trying to undo the results of the last election is an effort to “save democracy,” and, obviously, she wasn’t interested in having a conversation with me.
This country is not a democracy in the technical sense or the word. But even if we assume for the sake of argument that it is, democracy means majority rule. A majority elected Governor Walker, and a majority can vote him out of office if they don’t like the way he has stood up to the unions. That’s the democratic way of doing things.
How do tactics such as occupying a building, messing up a veterans’ monument and behaving like obnoxious thugs “save” the principle of majority rule?
I don’t think the people who make such a claim understand what democracy is. Nor do they understand what free speech is. For not only does what they’re doing go beyond mere speech, but they have zero tolerance for free speech when it disagrees with them.
Unless they think democracy means a loud and shrill minority getting their way by tyrannizing the majority, I’m not getting how they’re saving it.
Like, my yelling and screaming and occupying a building until I get my way saves democracy, but your taking a picture of me is rude?
And if you disagree with me, you’re against democracy?
I suspect that if the very issue they’re steamed up about — collective bargaining by state employees — were put to a majority vote, if the majority went against them they’d be doing exactly what they’re doing right now, and claiming to be saving democracy.
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9 responses to “Messing up veterans’ monuments saves democracy! But taking pictures is rude!”
See, you need to know the context.
Who is doing what to whom?
With the “who”s being more important than the “what”.
If they’re in favor of ideas approved by all the right people, they cannot, by definition, be doing anything wrong.
Now if they’re protesting against same, well, they’re obviously racist, murderous, stupid and just all around not nice people.
Which means that anything said about them is true in spirit, if not always in fact.
My problem is that I care about the “what” mostly and almost never find the “who”s to be important at all.
I’m kind of a jerk that way.
Veeshir, sometimes I think you’re right about this being the funniest end of civilization ever.
(At least, it’s the funniest end since the last funniest end.)
Well, you have to understand that these people argue that they have the right of “free association,” which of course includes the right to force people who may have no interest in doing so to join their precious little clique, and handing over thousands of dollars of their salary money to them.
Because workers of the world must unite, you know.
They are preserving democracy from the undemocratic taxpayers who are paying for it.
“I don’t think the people who make such a claim understand what democracy is. Nor do they understand what free speech is.”
More than just don’t understand: Don’t care.
The grasshoppers voted to “redistribute” the ants’ wealth. When the ants objected, the grasshoppers complained of an attack on democracy.
Power-mad busybodies agreed that everyone else should do, speak, and think as instructed. When some objected, the control freaks cried “democracy is under attack”.
More than borderline, it IS extortion. And, for that alone, it should be gainsaid. Automatically. Anyone engaging in such tactics should be seen as an enemy of We the People and should be shunned from the public arena.
Zero tolerance for thugs.
M
Eric, I’m not really kidding about that.
Of course, I’m defining the “end” of civilization pretty broadly.
The problem is that the most powerful people in our world are acting as if fantasy is reality.
They’re doing things based on the global warmmongering religion, based on the idea that socialism works, based on the idea that America and/or Israel is the cause of all the problems in the world, based on the idea that central control works, based on the idea that diversity (diversity of skin color, not ideas) is good.
The whole idea of America as a “melting pot” is not just ignored, but actually despised for being hegemonic and just mean.
I could go on and on, but the point is that we have people making the decisions that affect our world are basing those decisions on ideas that are not only wrong, but obviously and incredibly wrong.
Facts and logic are despised. If I try to talk about actual temps or how they relate to how the Sun acts, global warmmongers attack me for being brainwashed and just a tool of Big Heat as they can’t even tell me what the average temp of the Earth is right now.
That situation can last for a while, if the civilization is strong enough, but sooner or later the barbarians come over the walls.
Just ask the Byzantines. Oh wait, you can’t. They’re dead.
They spent their days worrying about their domestic enemies as their real enemies were massing and defeating their armies because their empire was far too old and strong to fall.
I imagine Ozymandias had much the same ideas.